6 Things You Should Do To Get Ready For Labour Day

From the moment we see that positive pregnancy test, we start planning for baby.

But how much thought do we put into the big day, our labour day?

6 Things You Should Do To Get Ready For Labour Day

Do we need to prepare for labour? In short, yes, it’s a great idea to prepare for labour.

Certainly, baby will come regardless of your preparation.

However, taking steps to prepare now could mean a more positive birth experience, improved outcomes, and even a better postpartum experience.

While birth can be unpredictable, regardless of how prepared you are, knowing your options and playing an active role can help you have a more positive experience, even if your labour unfolds in unexpected ways.

So, how should you prepare? Here are 6 things you should do to get ready for labour day:

#1: Make An Informed Choice About Your Maternity Care Provider

Choosing a care provider that you trust and one who practices evidenced based care can mean the difference between a traumatic labour experience and a labour experience with improved outcomes.

Even if things don’t go as planned, a trusted care provider can help you through a difficult labour.

It’s important to weigh all of your options and not simply choose the most convenient care provider. Even if your pregnancy is well underway, you can explore your maternity care provider options and make a change if you aren’t comfortable with your current provider. You can read more inHow Do I Choose A Care Provider?

Options vary by your location, but many women have access to a variety of midwifery care, obstetricians and even family doctors.

It’s also important to make an informed choice about your birth location. Learn all of your options including home birth, birth centres and hospital birth.

You might be surprised and change your mind once you weigh up all your options and meet with different providers.

#2: Get Informed

There are so many wonderful birth books! There are also some which are outdated, not evidenced based, and even fear-mongering books. If a book leaves you more fearful about birth than before you read it, well it’s probably not a great choice.

Chat with friends who have had similar births to the one you desire, find out if they have any book recommendations.

#3: Take An Independent Childbirth Class

Who needs a long birth class when your hospital offers an hour or two class included with the tour?

Well, if you’d like to learn about all your comfort options, benefits and risks of procedures, prenatal wellness, postpartum healing, and even get information about breastfeeding and infant care, an independent childbirth class is the way to go.

The more prepared you are for labour day, the more confident you can be in making decisions. No matter what plan you have, birth is unpredictable. Know your options beforehand, rather than making important decisions with little information, in the heat of the moment.

#4: Get Or Stay Active

With the exception of some medical complications, pregnancy is not the time to be inactive. If you’re already active, keep moving! If you’re not very active, get moving!

It’s important to discuss any changes in activity level with your maternity care provider, but generally, staying active, working out, walking and even running can be great ways to stay fit and prepare for labour.

In fact, a study presented by the Faculty of Sciences for Physical Activity and Sport at the Technical University of Madrid, found mothers who exercise regularly during their pregnancy could significantly decrease and prevent the risk of a c-section birth.

#5: Help Your Partner Prepare

If your partner or other support person is going to be attending your labour day, encourage them to prepare. You’re going to be quite busy and distracted, so the more they know, the better!

Attending an independent childbirth class together is a great way to help them prepare and ensure they understand your preferences during labour. It also helps you to feel more supported if they know what you will need from them during labour.

#6: Consider Hiring A Birth Doula

Having a supportive partner or friend is a wonderful thing during labour. However, having professional labour support can help improve your birth experience and even reduce the likelihood of interventions, such as use of pain medication, induction, or c-section birth.

Consider hiring a birth doula to help support you and your partner. A birth doula doesn’t replace a partner or family support. They’re a trained birth professional who can offer you birth education, hands on non-medical and emotional support.

Your labour day might be just one day in your parenting journey. However, it’s a very big day! Your birth experience and birth outcome can impact your postpartum healing, future fertility and birth outcomes, and even your baby’s health. Be sure to prepare and make informed decisions!

90

Shares

Related Articles

Maria Pyanov CPD, CCECONTRIBUTOR

Maria Silver Pyanov is a mama of four energetic boys and one unique little girl. She is also a doula and childbirth educator. She’s an advocate for birth options, and adequate prenatal care and support. She believes in the importance of rebuilding the village so no parent feels unsupported.

No comments have been made yet.

Leave a Reply

Please note: in order to prevent spam and inappropriate language, all comments are moderated before they appear. We appreciate your patience awaiting approval. BellyBelly receives many comments every day, and we are unable to approve them all as soon as they are posted.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Connect with US

Our Contributors

Our writing team consists of professionals who work with pregnant and birthing women, as well as new parents, all year round. We're not just bloggers or journalists. We're industry professionals who love what we do!